


Reflections in the Mirror

by SilverKitsune



Category: Tales of Berseria, Tales of Destiny, Tales of Xillia, Tales of Zestiria, Tales of the Rays (Video Game)
Genre: And Mikleo being the best frozen treat maker ever, F/M, Gen, Inspired by Tales of the Rays, M/M, and now with bonus Soymilk and Jumilla parallels because I can't help myself, and now with extra Zestiria/Berseria crossover content because that chapter was just too good, because I wanted Leon to join the party without you fighting him for once rofl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-12-23 06:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11984178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune/pseuds/SilverKitsune
Summary: A collection of crossover Tales drabbles inspired by and set in Tales of the Rays.  Each chapter is largely unconnected, and will feature different characters, although most, if not all, chapters will be Zestiria-centric.  Tags will be updated as drabbles are posted.





	1. Recruitment (ToZ/ToD)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As far as Leon was concerned, at least they didn't go for the sappy This Is Why We Should Work Together Speeches that certain Happy-Go-Lucky Play-In-The-Sun types tend to go for. Besides, now that they knew his secret, he had to see to it they didn't share it with the rest of the world!
> 
> Or, an alternative idea for how one Leon Magnus ends up joining Ix and Mileena in their quest to save their world.

Leon stared at the treat offered to him, then up to the white and blue haired boy offering said treat. Then off to the left, where Rutee stood with a satisfied grin on her face and Chal in one hand, clean ice candy stick in her mouth, and then to the right, where Ix and Mileena stood, along with another brown haired boy, all enjoying equally cold and tasty looking treats.

“Man, Mikleo, your Ice Pops are the best!” the brown haired boy exclaimed, feathered earrings waving in the air with the energy of his motions.

“It's your favorite, ice candy Leon,” Rutee said around the clean stick in her mouth. “Sorey's not wrong. These are at least as good as the ones back home.” Leon's fingers twitched, and he had to fight his instincts to avoid reaching out for the treat.

 _I even told them your favorite flavor!_ Chal added.

“Chal, you talk too much,” Leon replied. No, there was _no way_ he was going confirm such, such . . . _embarrassing_ information in front of them. And _definitely_ not in front of Rutee. He had an image to uphold.

Never mind she'd already seen him eat over 50 scoops of ice cream in one sitting.

_Awwwww, c'mon, Bocchan! Don't be like that! I've been told Mikleo's Fruit Parfaits are really good too!_

“That they are!” the brown haired boy chimed in, grinning as he savored yet another bite of his treat. At this point, Leon could feel his eyebrow beginning to twitch - that kind of grin, always so bright and optimistic and carefree, just like Stahn's - didn't Rutee know he hated people like that?

“S-Sorey, they're good, but not-” Mikleo replied, face flush from the compliment.

“No need to be humble, Mikleo, your frozen snacks are amazing! Even Edna couldn't find anything bad to say about them and you know how harsh of a critic she is!”

_See?_

“No, I-” Leon found himself cut-off mid sentence as the treat was shoved into his mouth by one impatient Rutee. Mikleo stood flexing his fingers from the sudden loss of the ice candy in his hand, but Leon paid that no attention.

Anything else he had wanted to say was quickly forgotten as his tongue registered the crisp cool taste of the ice candy gently melting in his mouth, the sweetness of the juice enhanced by a light touch of sugar while the tartness of the fruit kept it from being overwhelmingly sweet. He swallowed, and then quickly bit into it for a second bite, and was pleasantly surprised – it was firm enough to hold its shape, but not impossible to bite into, and Leon had to agree, whoever made it was a skilled confectioner of frozen treats to get it to freeze just perfectly.

He polished off the first, and then held out the perfectly cleaned stick to Mikleo. “Seconds.”

“Not so fast,” Rutee replied. “Join us first. And then you can as much ice candy as you want.”

Leon quirked an eyebrow. He _supposed_ the ice candy _was_ as good as Rutee said they were. Besides, these people knew one of his darkest deepest secrets. Clearly, he had to stay here to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't share it with anyone else. “As much as I want?”

* * *

Ten hours later, Mikleo collapsed onto the bed in his shared room with Sorey on the Heimdallr. He'd thought it would be enough, making ice pops, soft serve, and fruit parfaits for their new (maybe) companion, but he'd never thought he would end up facing someone who could actually _exhaust_ him making them! At least now that Leon's sweet tooth was (temporarily) satisfied, maybe he could catch up on a little sleep, especially now that Edna found a new favorite person to tease.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And somewhere off in the distance, while Mikleo sleeps, Edna teases Leon so much, they end up fighting in the end anyway. I mean, this is Leon we're talking about. There's no such thing as getting him to join your party without fighting him, even if you do bribe him with delicious frozen treats, lol.


	2. Parallels (ToZ/ToX)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milla and Mikleo spar. Sorey takes the moment to reflect on their situation, and the opportunity it presents while leaving Jude with something to consider.

“Whirling Assault!”

Sorey winced as the clang of sword on staff echoed in the air, leaning on the railing as he watched Mikleo block Milla's twirling sword.  A sigh next to him broke him out of his thoughts, and he glanced to his left to spot Jude a few feet away, eyes sparkling as he watched the ongoing sparring match.

“Hello, Jude,” Sorey greeted, returning his attention to the fight below. Mikleo had managed to parry another of Milla's artes, and used the opportunity to step to the side and counterattack from her left flank. Their weapons clashed once more, and they both leapt back, using the opening to channel artes of their own. An unseen wind tousled long golden hair and twin capes alike as they both channeled their power, and Sorey found himself sighing in unison with Jude.

“She's beautiful isn't she?”

“He's beautiful isn't he?”

Sorey looked over to Jude, and they both started laughing after a moment. “They look like they're having fun out there. Mikleo's gotten in a few good hits, but I think Milla's winning this match.”

“True, but Mikleo's done well for himself. It's not very often she gets challenged by someone who can match her ability to control water,” Jude replied.

Sure enough, wind met water in an explosion of mist across the sparring ring, and then Milla was charging straight through it, pressing her advantage to land a winning blow on Mikleo, sending him flying back. She went in for what would have been a killing strike, stopping her sword inches from his neck.

Jude smiled, and Sorey caught the look on his face – one that he was sure Edna had complained about repeatedly in the past, leading to Lailah cooing about how cute it was, and Zaveid giving him encouragement . . . of sorts.

“You know,” Sorey began as he watched Milla help Mikleo back to his feet, “I was really unsure of what I would do when Ix and Mileena first told me what they had done and I was. I am simultaneously Sorey and yet, not Sorey.”

He paused, watching as Milla and Mikleo walk back towards the ship together, deep in discussion.

“But now I realize – there's an opportunity here that the original Sorey didn't have before. There was so much hanging in the balance during that journey he was on, and there were things he wanted for himself that he was prepared to sacrifice for the sake of his world.”

His gaze focused on Mikleo, on the way the wind tickled his short silver-blue hair, the thoughtful expression on his face as he listened to Milla explain something, and Sorey smiled. “In a way, I'm grateful. Sure, there's the fate of a world hanging in the balance, but at least I can take the time this chance has given me to act on some of the desires he had.”

Mikleo looked up and spotted them, giving them a friendly wave as he began jogging back towards the retractable stairs leading up to the main viewing deck. Sorey waved back, and then turned to Jude.

“Maybe you should do the same.”

Jude sputtered, and if he said anything in response, it was drowned out by the sound of Sorey's boot steps on the deck as he ran to meet Mikleo at the top of the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometime later that night, Jude confesses to Milla. It probably takes a moment for her to realize what he's talking about, and probably a lot of stammered explanations on his part, but she does get the idea. Eventually.


	3. History Lesson (ToZ/ToB)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo learns what it means to tether a malak, and suddenly everything makes so much more sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Berseria spoiler, mostly for what it means to tether a malak.

The door slid closed with a whoosh as Mikleo walked out into the corridor. Sorey was sound asleep in their room, resting after all the fighting and traveling, and while Mikleo had gotten a few hours sleep earlier, something about their earlier encounter with Velvet had bothered him.

“ _I see what's happening here. You sense the malevolence because you're an exorcist and that's your tethered malak.”_

There was something in the way she said the line, a measure of pity and regret mixed in with the hatred that still bothered him. And while they'd eventually worked out that “malak” was indeed an ancient word for “seraph”, he couldn't figure out what was special about “tethering”. Perhaps Edna would know more, since her familiarity with Velvet and Laphicet she was alive during that time.

The chilly night air hit him as he stepped out onto the deck; the full moon high in the sky casting its blue-white light, leaving him with just enough light to see where he was going. He looked around, looking for Edna . . . only to spot Velvet by the railing.

“You seem rather lively for a tethered malak,” she commented as he approached.

“I wanted to ask when you said it earlier,” he replied, taking a spot near the railing next to her, “what does that mean?”

She shifted, and he heard more than saw the clanking of her armor, and looking towards her, he caught a glimpse of her surprised expression as she answered.

“To tether a malak is to form a pact with it, give it a true name, and then strip its will away,” she answered, clenching her left hand to emphasize the point. “It becomes nothing more than a living tool, a slave forced to perform any order it's given. Including dying.”

Mikleo shuddered, the brutal honesty of the statement sinking in; it had never been mentioned in any of the books Gramps had given him and Sorey to read as children. Was that why Gramps had scolded him so harshly when he discovered Mikleo had given Sorey his true name so easily when they were children? Was that why Edna had been so reluctant to join them in their quest? And Lailah – was that why she had been so surprised when she'd learned Sorey had known his true name even before they had a pact between them? And Zaveid . . . the way Velvet and Laphicet had spoken about living true to themselves . . . had that happened to him?

It all suddenly made sense.

“It,” he began, trying to speak around the sudden knot in his throat, “it's not something we do anymore in my time.”

He took a deep breath, trying hard not to think of how, had he met Sorey under different circumstances and in a different time, that that, too, might have been his fate.

“In my time, every seraph has a true name of their own, something they don't share unless it's with a Shepherd,” he began, “or with someone they truly care about. Every Shepherd has a Seraph that serves as the Prime Lord to the Shepherd. For us, that would be a fire seraph named Lailah.” He relaxed, thinking of Lailah and her motherly warmth and love for puns. “Through her, I have a Sub Lord Pact with Sorey, which allows me to channel my powers through him and fight by his side.”

He looked down at his hands, thinking of the past few months aboard the Heimdallr, and his battles alongside Ix, Mileena, and all the other heroes he'd met.

“Although, that no longer seems to be necessary with this new world we've been exoflected into.”

Velvet was silent, as though she were thinking through everything he'd shared. “That's good,” Velvet finally said. “You have a choice in the matter. Living your life as you will it . . . that's the way it should be.”

She paused, a small smile on her lips as a breeze rolled over the deck.

“And your Shepherd, he reminds me of an exorcist I know from my time,” she continued with a chuckle. “I think they'd get along if he ever got to meet her.”

Mikleo nodded, even as his mind continued to swirl with the revelations of their brief conversation.

“Did Laphicet get . . .” His voice closed, and he found himself unable to continue. The very concept of someone taking away his own free will, just so they could use him and his abilities as they saw fit . . .

“Yes,” she simply answered. “And at one point, Teresa ordered him to blow himself up to kill me.”

And then it all made sense, why Laphicet had been so quick to defend her at every turn.

“Thank you,” he replied, “I should get back to the room and get some rest before sunrise.”

He returned to their room, closing the door with a whoosh and locking it with a click. The moonlight streamed in from their window, and Mikleo changed into more comfortable sleep wear before he climbed into bed, settling down onto his pillow while he traced Sorey's sleeping face with his eyes.

Velvet's history lesson wasn't something wholly unexpected – he had expected as much given the attitude of some of the older seraphim he'd met. But to hear it all bluntly stated . . .

Slowly, and carefully, he sat up, and gently pressed a kiss to Sorey's cheek.

“Thank you, Sorey.”

His only answer was a gentle snore and a sleepy mumble of his name.

 


End file.
